The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority has launched a new downtown bus shuttle service, designed to take Lawrence residents from some of the more densely populated neighborhoods into the main commercial districts of Broadway and Essex Street. Mayor Dan Rivera has been quoted as saying that the shuttle is being introduced so that more residents can take advantage of the services available in both the city’s various neighborhoods and downtown. Stops will include Lawrence and Park, Broadway and Manchester, Broadway and Essex, Essex and Union, and the Lawrence Senior Center. Shuttle service will run on bus route 85, and will require the same fare as other bus routes.